Unmanned Air Vehicles

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with the Attorney-General's office on the legality of armed drone strikes.

Andrew Robathan: It is the longstanding position of Government, reflected in the Ministerial Code, that whether the Law Officers have been consulted on any issue on any matter is not disclosed outside Government.

Corporation Tax: Video Games

Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent progress has been made by his Department's consultation on corporation tax reliefs for high-end television animation and video games industries.

David Gauke: HM Treasury published a consultation on the design of the corporation tax reliefs for animation, high-end television and video games on 18 June 2012. This consultation closed on 10 September.
	The Government is considering the responses it has received. A Government response to the consultation will be published on 11 December 2012 along with draft legislation for consultation.

Income Tax

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give consideration to extending the personal allowance level at which lower-paid employees begin paying income tax to £12,000 per annum.

David Gauke: The Government believes the income tax system should give more support to those on low to middle incomes, rewarding the efforts of those who choose to work. This is why the coalition Government have committed to increasing the personal allowance to £10,000.
	Together the personal allowance increases announced by the Government in this Parliament will benefit 25 million individuals, and take 2 million low income individuals out of income tax by April 2013.

Tax Returns

Robert Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many closure notices HM Revenue and Customs issued in each tax year between 1989-90 and 2008-09, where relief had been claimed by the taxpayer using schemes later closed down by (a) section 62 of the Finance Act 1987 (No. 2), (b) sections 112 and 115 of the Income and Corporation Tax Act 1988, (c) section 59 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, (d) section 858 of the Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005 and (e) section 58 of the Finance Act 2008;
	(2)  how many people, in each tax year between 1989-90 and 2008-09, set up Isle of Man or other trusts that were used in schemes later shut down by (a) section 62 of the Finance Act 1987 (No. 2), (b) sections 112 and 115 of the Income and Corporation Tax Act 1988, (c) section 59 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, (d) section 858 of the Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005 and (e) section 58 of the Finance Act 2008;
	(3)  how many closure notices HM Revenue and Customs issued making (a) an adjustment and (b) no adjustment to a tax return, in each tax year between 1989-90 and 2008-09, in circumstances where relief had been claimed using schemes later closed down by (i) section 62 of the Finance Act 1987 (No. 2), (ii) sections 112 and 115 of the Income and Corporation Tax Act 1988, (iii) section 59 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, (iv) section 858 of the Income Tax (Trading and Other Income) Act 2005 and (v) section 58 of the Finance Act 2008.

David Gauke: Section 62 Finance (No 2) Act 1987 and the later equivalent provisions referred to in the question retrospectively restored the important and well established principle that Double Taxation Treaties do not affect a UK resident's liability to UK tax on their income or gains.
	Section 58 Finance Act 2008 was introduced when evidence emerged that a large number of people were using the schemes and in light of a number of factors (including the widespread use, aggressive nature and artificiality of the scheme, the deliberate attempt to avoid the aim of the 1987 legislation, and the need to ensure fairness and certainty for all taxpayers). The legislation put beyond doubt, again with retrospective effect, that the schemes did not work—and never had done.
	I am unable to provide the information requested because HM Revenue & Customs does not hold the information in the manner stipulated and a search of their systems and records would be at a disproportionate cost, is unlikely to provide the requested information, and any information found may still not be in the form you require. It may also be useful to explain that the original legislation introduced in 1987 preceded self-assessment procedures, including the introduction of closure notices.
	HMRC can provide the following information which may be relevant to the questions being asked.
	With regard to the number of trusts, a number of people using the wholly artificial tax avoidance schemes set up more than one trust in attempting to avoid tax, and in other cases more than one person used the same trust. HMRC identified roughly 3,000 people who had set up one or more Interest in Possession trusts that were likely to have been used for the wholly artificial scheme targeted by section 58 Finance Act 2008. Enquiries were opened into the returns made by many of these individuals. In a substantial number of cases it was established that the trust either was not in fact set up for the scheme, was set up for the scheme but not used, or was set up for the scheme but used for a later year.
	HMRC is enquiring into the returns of approximately 2,000 people who used the scheme under enquiry and many of them used the scheme for more than one year, therefore users may have received multiple closure notices. In some cases enquiries were not opened but the position of the Exchequer has been safeguarded by the issuing of assessments. Where an assessment has been made for a year in respect of the wholly artificial scheme targeted by section 58, no closure notice would have been issued for the same year.
	HMRC has become aware that enquiries into a small number of returns have been closed in error. HMRC does not consider that this affects the rationale for the introduction of section 58.

Public Order Act 1936

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to publish the results of the consultation on reforming section 5 of the Public Order Act 1936.

Damian Green: The Government is carefully considering the responses to the consultation ‘Police Powers to Promote and Maintain Public Order’, part of which sought views on the significance of the word “insulting” in section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. The Government will publish its response to the consultation in due course.

Theft: Barrow and Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of theft from the person there were in Barrow and Furness constituency in each of the last five years, by the nature of item stolen.

Jeremy Browne: Statistics are not available for the constituency of Barrow and Furness. The available information relates to offences of theft from the person recorded in the combined Community Safety Partnership areas of Barrow-in-Furness and South Lakeland and is given in the table. Information on the type of item stolen is not available from the police recorded crime statistics.
	
		
			 Offences of theft from the person recorded in the combined Community Safety Partnership areas of Barrow-in-Furness and South Lakeland 
			 Financial year Number 
			 2007-08 63 
			 2008-09 76 
			 2009-10 50 
			 2010-11 54 
			 2011-12 35

Children: Chernobyl

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will consider the merits of rescinding the decision to charge for visas in respect of applications made for visitors under the auspices of the Children from Chernobyl scheme.

David Lidington: For more than 16 years, the Government has provided gratis visas to thousands of children to travel to the UK for respite care organised by the Chernobyl Children Charities. The costs of around £130,000 per year are currently charged to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). In line with a number of other difficult spending decisions, gratis visas will cease on 31 March 2013. We do not plan to reconsider this decision.
	The FCO informed the charities concerned of this decision in November 2010 to allow them time to seek alternative funding. The FCO has also offered assistance to the charities in identifying new funding sources. Additionally, as a goodwill gesture in this final year of gratis visas, we have offered to cover the cost of Chernobyl children visas obtained in Ukraine as well as Belarus, up to a ceiling of £200,000.

Israel

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage Israel to (a) sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and (b) open its nuclear programme to international inspection.

Alistair Burt: The British Government supports fully the universalisation of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). We have called on Israel and other non-signatories to join the NPT as non-nuclear weapons states. We have also called on them to agree a full scope Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In 2009 the IAEA concluded that nuclear material, facilities or other items to which safeguards were applied in Israel remained in use for peaceful activities. The UK accepts these conclusions. We have a regular dialogue with the Israeli Government on civil nuclear and counter proliferation issues.

Press: Subscriptions

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months.

David Lidington: In 2011-12, total global spend recorded for Publications and Library and Information Services was £1.9 million, a 14% reduction on the cost of £2.2 million in 2010-11, a figure which I gave on 25 October 2011, Official Report, column 181W. These amounts cover spend across all the UK's 261 embassies and diplomatic posts overseas, as well as all the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Departments in London. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has partly achieved savings by working with other Government Departments to obtain best value when purchasing these goods and services.

Trade Promotion

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, column 176W, on trade promotion, what the names are of the Scottish firms supported under the UK Trade and Investment tradeshow access programme; what the value was of the grant provided to each firm; and what the stated purpose of each grant was.

Hugo Swire: Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) grants are offered to less experienced exporter small and medium enterprises (SME) to exhibit at overseas trade fairs where they have the opportunity to promote their products or services to overseas buyers. The funding goes primarily towards stand space and construction costs.
	Listed in the following table are those Scottish-based businesses who received TAP grants in financial year 2011-12 and the amount of grant they received. Grant levels range between £1,000 and £1,800 depending on agreed levels for individual exhibitions. Businesses can receive more than one grant in a financial year.
	
		
			 Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP)—Grants to Scottish-based businesses in 2011-12 
			 Business name Grant value (£) 
			 Access All Areas Distribution Ltd 1,000 
			 Aeropair Ltd 1,000 
			 Allenwest Wallacetown Limited 1,000 
			 Allenwest Wallacetown Limited 1,400 
			 Armadale Salmon Fishing 1,000 
			 AvantiCell Science Ltd 1,000 
			 Ayr Equestrian 1,000 
			 Barcelo Troon Marine Hotel 1,800 
			 BGS Productions Limited 1,400 
			 Big Baby Productions Ltd 1,400 
			 Big Baby Productions Ltd 1,400 
			 Bowtech Products Limited 1,400 
			 Caledonian Tree Co Ltd 1,000 
			 Caley Fisheries Ltd 1,000 
			 CAPDM Ltd 1,000 
			 Ceramco Ltd 1,000 
			 Classic Restorations (Scotland) Ltd 1,000 
			 Clock House Furniture Ltd 1,000 
			 Clock House Furniture Ltd 1,000 
			 Corporate Insignia Limited 1,400 
			 Craigielaw Golf Club 1,000 
			 DCH Wholesale 1,200 
			 DCH Wholesale 1,200 
			 Deans of Huntly Ltd 1,000 
			 Distrify Ltd 1,400 
			 DKL Metals Ltd 1,400 
			 Dryden Aqua Ltd 1,800 
			 Duncans of Deeside Ltd 1,000 
			 Earth Squared Ltd 1,400 
			 EdICT Training Ltd 1,000 
			 Edinburgh College of Art 1,000 
			 Edinburgh Napier University 1,400 
			 eeGeo 1,800 
			 Executive Golf & Leisure Limited 1,800 
			 Executive Golf & Leisure Limited 1,800 
			 Exterity Limited 1,800 
			 Findlay Irvine Ltd 1,000 
			 Firebrand Games Ltd 1,000 
			 Firemac Limited 1,800 
		
	
	
		
			 Forge Consulting Limited 1,000 
			 Fresh (FSM LLP) 1,000 
			 FTV Proclad International Ltd 1,000 
			 Gardiners Of Scotland 1,000 
			 Gareloch Support Services (Plant) Ltd 1,400 
			 Gilden Photonics Ltd 1,000 
			 Gilden Photonics Ltd 1,400 
			 Global Solutions (AIC) Ltd 1,000 
			 Golf Scotland 1,800 
			 Golf Tourism Scotland 1,800 
			 Grampian Growers Limited 1,400 
			 Gretna Green Group Ltd 1,000 
			 Halley Stevensons (Dyers & Finishers) Ltd 1,000 
			 Halley Stevensons (Dyers & Finishers) Ltd 1,000 
			 Hawick Knitwear Ltd 1,200 
			 Hebridean Smokehouse Ltd 1,000 
			 High Voltage Instruments Ltd 1,800 
			 Highland Experience Tours 1,000 
			 Highland Golf Links Ltd 1,800 
			 Holland & Sherry Ltd 1,800 
			 Hopscotch Brands Ltd 1,000 
			 HRH Geological 1,400 
			 Hunter Boot Limited 1,200 
			 Hunter Boot Limited 1,200 
			 HuzuTech Limited 1,400 
			 HuzuTech Limited 1,400 
			 Ilasco Ltd 1,000 
			 Integrated Environmental Solutions Ltd 1,000 
			 Intercaps Filling Systems Ltd 1,000 
			 ITF (Industry Technology Facilitator) 1,400 
			 Jean Moncrieff 1,400 
			 JK Thomson 1,000 
			 Joe Cool 1,000 
			 John McGavigan Ltd (ADS) 1,400 
			 Johnstone's Just Desserts Limited 1,000 
			 Kandie Imports 1,000 
			 KSM Superclean Ltd 1,400 
			 Lallemand UK Ltd 1,400 
			 Lamar Group Ltd 1,400 
			 Laser Support Services Ltd 1,000 
			 Lee's of Scotland 1,000 
			 Lindean Mill Glass Ltd 1,400 
			 Links Golf Tours St Andrews Limited 1,800 
			 Loch Duart Ltd 1,000 
			 Loch Fyne Oysters Ltd 1,800 
			 Lochcarron John Buchan Ltd 1,000 
			 Machine Vision Products 1,400 
			 Machine Vision Products 1,800 
			 Macleans Highland Bakery Ltd 1,000 
			 Macnaughton Holdings Limited 1,000 
			 Margot Steel Designs 1,000 
			 Meldrum House Estates Ltd 1,800 
			 Milbro Sports Ltd 1,000 
			 Moorbrook Textiles Limited t/a Robert Noble 1,000 
			 Morag Macpherson Textiles 1,000 
			 MW Encap Limited 1,800 
			 MW Encap Limited 1,800 
			 MYB Textiles Limited 1,400 
		
	
	
		
			 Mylnefield Research Services Ltd 1,400 
			 Nairns Oatcakes Ltd 1,000 
			 Nexus Oncology Ltd 1,000 
			 Niki Jones 1,000 
			 OEG Offshore Ltd 1,000 
			 Paradigm Flow Solutions 1,000 
			 Pickone 1,400 
			 Playfair Farms 1,800 
			 Professional Beauty Systems Ltd 1,400 
			 QCTR Limited 1,000 
			 Rabbie's Trail Burners Ltd 1,000 
			 Rainbow Technology Systems Ltd 1,400 
			 Red Island Ltd 1,000 
			 Reel Service Ltd 1,400 
			 Reid & Taylor 1,000 
			 Replin Fabrics 1,000 
			 Resistance Wires Ltd 1,000 
			 Retronix Ltd 1,800 
			 Retronix Semiconductor Limited 1,800 
			 RF Global Solutions Ltd 1,800 
			 Robert Cullen Ltd 1,400 
			 S &T Knitwear Manufacturing Ltd 1,200 
			 Safe Dreams Limited 1,000 
			 Samantha Holmes 1,000 
			 Samantha Holmes 1,000 
			 Savantech Limited 1,800 
			 Scienscope International 1,400 
			 Sekers Fabrics Ltd 1,400 
			 Semefab (Scotland) Limited 1,800 
			 Sensewhere Ltd 1,800 
			 Shortbread House of Edinburgh Limited 1,000 
			 Skea Organics Ltd 1,400 
			 Smart Safetech Ltd 1,000 
			 Smart Tech Ltd 1,000 
			 So You Media Ltd 1,400 
			 Solid Form Solutions Ltd 1,800 
			 Sports Labs Ltd 1,000 
			 St James Smokehouse (Scotland) Limited 1,000 
			 Stats (UK) Limited 1,000 
			 Steepest Ascent Ltd 1,800 
			 Stepper Technology Limited 1,800 
			 Stepper Technology Limited 1,800 
			 Studio Scotland Ltd 1,400 
			 TAG Games Ltd 1,000 
			 Task Geoscience Ltd 1,400 
			 Tayside Machinery Ltd 1,000 
			 Technocomm Ltd 1,800 
			 Teknek Europe Ltd 1,400 
			 Teknek Europe Ltd 1,400 
			 Tessuti 1,400 
			 Tessuti 1,400 
			 The Decal Company Ltd 1,400 
			 The Decal Company Ltd 1,400 
			 The Futurist Cinema Company Limited 1,400 
			 The House of Cheviot Ltd 1,000 
			 Tom Hannah (Agencies) Ltd 1,000 
			 Totseat Ltd 1,000 
			 Touch EMAS Ltd 1,000 
			 Usan Salmon Fisheries Ltd 1,000 
			 Visible Ink Television Ltd 1,800 
			 Voyage Decoration Ltd 1,400 
		
	
	
		
			 Waddler 1,200 
			 Waddler 1,200 
			 Wallace Cameron &. Company Limited 1,000 
			 Wemyss Weavcraft Ltd 1,400 
			 Word Maker Ltd 1,000 
			 Worldbeating Products 1,400 
			 X-Axys Ltd 1,000 
			 X-Axys Ltd 1,400 
			 X-Axys Ltd 1,400 
			 X-Axys Ltd 1,800 
			 Yestek Ltd 1,000 
			 Yestek Ltd 1,800 
			 Yieldmax Ltd 1,400 
			 Young SET Ambassadors Ltd 1,800

Recycling

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what further incentives the Government plans to put in place to encourage domestic recycling and reprocessing.

Richard Benyon: In the Budget 2012, the Government announced increases in packaging recycling targets up to 2017 under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations. This will provide a direct financial incentive to UK recyclers and reprocessors to recycle more packaging waste.
	Furthermore, the Government is reviewing the UK's producer responsibility regulations to reduce the burdens they place on businesses, including UK recyclers and reprocessors. The review will also consider claims that the regulations incentivise the export of packaging waste for reprocessing overseas over domestic reprocessing.
	The Government is also investing directly in UK recycling infrastructure through interventions such as the waste and resource action programme (WRAP)'s mixed plastics loan fund. The Green Investment Bank has also commenced commercial lending and has identified waste processing and recycling as a priority sector with 80% of funds committed to this and other priority sectors.

Waste: Exports

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to prevent the illegal export of hazardous waste from the UK to developing and other countries.

Richard Benyon: The Government is committed to cracking down on illegal waste exports. The UK is a party to the Basel convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous waste and its disposal, the only global legal instrument on this issue. The convention is implemented in the EU through the waste shipments regulation, which is supplemented in the UK by the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007. Under these regulations, it is a serious criminal offence to export hazardous waste illegally, with the possibility of significant penalties for those convicted.
	Tackling the illegal export of hazardous waste is a key feature of the work done by numerous EU and international bodies, such as the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law, Interpol, Europol and the United Nations Environment programme.
	The UK competent authorities (the Environment Agency for England and Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency) carry out joint intelligence-led inspections and investigations, enabling cross-border multi-agency sharing of intelligence, techniques and skills. The agencies also work actively to improve business awareness of the controls which apply to the export of waste. Their work has led to them stopping a number of illegal shipments, and taking enforcement action against offenders.
	As stated in the Government's 2011 Review of Waste Policy in England, we are committed to assisting with the provision of a necessary legal gateway to enable the sharing of information between UK customs and the environment agencies.

Dietary Supplements: EU Law

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent discussions the Government has had with the European Commission on the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements through European Union Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements;
	(2)  whether the European Commission has indicated whether discussions on the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements are likely to resume;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect on consumer choice of implementation of the European Commission's proposals for maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements through the Food Supplements Directive;
	(4)  what steps the Government plans to take at EU level to ensure that existing levels of access in the UK to safe, high potency vitamins and minerals are retained.

Anna Soubry: European Union directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements, provides for the future establishment of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals used in these foods. The Government considers that any future discussions need to ensure that the legislation is proportionate and based on evidence, so that consumers have confidence in what they buy, while maintaining a wide choice of safe products.
	There have not been any recent discussions on this issue and the European Commission has given no indication of when negotiations will continue on the drafting of rules in this area.
	As discussions progress, an impact assessment will continue to be further developed and the final outcome on consumer choice will be assessed when it is known which maximum permitted levels will be applicable.

Health Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department plans to publish the single operating model on clinical networks.

Anna Soubry: We understand that the NHS Commissioning Board intends to publish the Single Operating Framework for strategic clinical networks during the week beginning 12 November.

Radiotherapy

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on funding proton beam radiotherapy.

Anna Soubry: Since 2008, patients with certain cancers where proton beam therapy (PBT) is considered the appropriate radiotherapy have been sent overseas for treatment. A PBT Clinical Reference Panel, established by the National Commissioning Group, advises on suitable cases for this treatment.
	In October 2010, the Government announced it would increase funding for the Overseas Programme over the spending review period so that all high priority patients with a need for PBT get access, treating up to 400 patients per year by 2014-15.
	In April 2012, the Government announced that the Department had set aside up to £250 million of public capital to be invested by the national health service in building PBT facilities at the Christie Hospital in Manchester and University College London Hospital. We estimate that for the same money we will be spending in 2014-15 to send 400 high priority patients abroad for PBT we will be able to treat up to 1,200 English patients when services, are ready in this country. The new national service is due to start treating patients from the end of 2017 and we anticipate that up to 1,500 patients every year could benefit from PBT.
	On 12 October, we published the “National Proton Beam Therapy Service Development Programme Strategic Outline Case”. This outlines the clinical evidence base for the development of the service and the overall investment objectives of the PBT programme. A copy of the guidance has already been placed in the Library.

Planning

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria he will use to determine which local authorities to place under special measures for planning purposes.

Nicholas Boles: The Government intends to consult on its preferred approach to implementing this measure shortly.

Planning

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the financial effects of the foregone planning fee income on local authorities that are designated under Clause 1 of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 1 November 2012
	The Government intends to consult on its preferred approach to implementing this measure shortly, which will include consideration of its potential effects and benefits.

Financial Services: Regulation

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to organisations in the UK of compliance with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Greg Clark: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (DFA) was signed into US law in July 2010. However, US regulators are still determining how the new laws will work in practice. Given the uncertainty surrounding the practical implementation of the Act—including, for instance, the breadth of regulations and exemptions—there are significant challenges in determining the range of costs (including economic, fiscal and administrative costs) to organisations in the UK of compliance with the DFA.
	The Government, alongside other country governments, is taking forward a dialogue with the US authorities in bilateral and multilateral meetings on the DFA with reference to the potential impact and costs on UK organisations and the UK economy.

Unsolicited Goods and Services: Mobile Phones

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether she has had any recent discussions with PhonePayPlus regarding unsolicited subscription-rate text messages.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), has had no recent discussions with PhonepayPlus, the independent regulatory body with day-to-day responsibility for the regulation of the Premium Rate Servicesmarket in the UK, concerning unsolicited subscription text messages. However, as Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries I met Andrew Pinder, Chairman of PhonepayPlus, on 31 October.

Schools: Finance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress he has made towards establishing a national funding formula for schools in England; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: holding answer 2 November 2012
	On 26 March 2012 the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), announced the Government's intention to introduce a new national funding formula during the next spending review period.
	In the meantime we are making a number of changes to the way that local authorities distribute funding to schools. Funding will need to be distributed using much simpler local formulae and on a much more transparent basis. These changes will take effect from April 2013 and will provide an important first step towards a national funding formula.

Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what capital expenditure over £10,000 was made at HMP Ashwell and HMP Wellingborough, by type of spend, in each of the last five financial years.

Jeremy Wright: Capital expenditure over £10,000 for HMP Ashwell and HMP Wellingborough for the last five financial years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Description 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 HMP Ashwell      
			 Major capital building works 3.2 8.7 0.6 0.1 0 
			 Local capital acquisitions 0.195 0.106 0.035 0 0 
			 Total 3.395 8.806 0.635 0.1 0 
			       
			 HMP Wellingborough      
			 Major capital building works 3.5 1.1 0.2 0.1 0 
			 Local capital acquisitions (net) 0.060 0.038 0.055 0.128 0.115 
			 Total 3.560 1.138 0.255 0.228 0.115 
			 Notes: 1. Figures subject to rounding. 2. HMP Ashwell closed at the end of 2010-11. 3. The capitalisation threshold increased from £5,000 to £10,000 from 1 April 2010. 
		
	
	The local capital acquisition figures are based on costs met directly by each establishment on capital items including plant and mechanical equipment, and machinery. Expenditure on major capital building works at each prison is that met at regional or national level.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect on women of the switch to monthly single payments on the introduction of universal credit.

Mark Hoban: Universal credit will be paid as a single amount every month to eligible households. This approach will smooth the transition into work where 75% of employees are paid monthly, will enable claimants to see the effect of decisions about work on total household income and will also encourage claimants to take responsibility for budgeting.
	The Government believes that it is for the household to decide who receives their universal credit and how that money should be budgeted. This approach is in line with evidence that suggests that only 7% of cohabiting couples and only 2% of married couples keep their finances completely separate. To that end we will encourage payment into a joint account where appropriate.
	Moving to a single monthly household payment is a significant change to the way most benefits are currently paid and we will provide support for claimants needing help to manage that change. In exceptional cases alternative payment arrangements may be required. The Government will retain powers to split payments between members of a. couple in joint claim cases. The details and circumstances of these arrangements are still being considered.